On Thursday 22 March, in an event dubbed World Music Concert, the Cairo Celebration Choir (CCC) from Egypt joined by the Dozan wa Awtar choir from Jordan performed a new selection of songs from around the globe.

The event, which took place at El-Dar, Heliopolis (Cairo), included three segments; songs performed by the Cairo Celebration Choir, songs by the Awtar Wa Dozan, and both choirs singing together.

With performances in front of a large audience, the evening featured compositions by the Rahbani Brothers, Elias Rahbani, Zaki Nassif, Farid El-Atrash, Dahmane El-Harrachi, Mohammed Abdel-Wahhab, Jonče Hristovski, Shantel, Brian Wilson and Mike Love, among others, arranged by numerous musicians including Nayer Nagui, Nedy Muna, and Nareg Abajian. 

This was the second time for the two choirs to take the Cairo stage together.

Their first concert took place in February 2017, when CCC and Dozan Wa Awtar performed at the Cairo Opera House and at the Alexandria Opera House in a programme that included popular compositions and folkloric songs from the Egyptian and Jordanian repertoire, many of them arranged by Nagui, Awatef Abdel-Kerim and Gamal Abdel-Rahim.

The choirs were conducted by Nayer Nagui and Nedy Muna, and were accompanied by Amira Ahmed (traditional Arabic singer), Mohamed Saleh (piano), Yasser Ghoneim (violin), Shady Ishaak (cello), Sherif Elian (double bass), Saber Abdelsattar (kanoun), Andrew Maher (guitar), Diaa Badr (percussion), Ramadan Mansour (tabla), and Nashaat Labib (req).

According to its official biography, Dozan Wa Awtar, which was founded in 2008, “is the leading secular choir in Jordan. Its repertoire includes a wide range of sacred music, from Byzantine hymns through the chorale classics of Western music to the present day and Islamic anasheed. The choir also enjoys performing secular music, including folk songs from around the world, Broadway hits and arrangements of popular, contemporary music in many languages.”

Dozan Wa Awtar participated in the Champions Competition of the 2016 World Choir Games, winning gold medals in two categories: Music of Spirit and Faith, and Folklore with Accompaniment.

The CCC was founded in 2000 by Nayer Nagui, its principal conductor and artistic director. The choir consists of "professional amateurs," as Nagui describes them, and "has become a vibrant element of Egypt's cultural life."

The CCC won the Silver Diploma in the category of Folklore with Accompaniment, one of the main awards at the ninth World Choir Games 2016. In 2012, the choir won Silver Level Diploma at the Czech Republic's Prague Voices Festival.

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

Jordan's Dozan Wa Awtar and Cairo Celebration Choir perform at El Dar (Photo:George Tatossian)

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